


King Midas

by VampirePam



Category: The Social Network
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, Kissing, Love, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, apology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-02
Updated: 2011-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-15 07:34:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/158523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampirePam/pseuds/VampirePam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eduardo is surprised when Mark comes to his office in the middle of the night with a gift, a story, and a confession.  Will it be enough for them to move on from the past?</p>
            </blockquote>





	King Midas

“One million, four hundred eighty-two thousand, nine hundred and sixty.”

Eduardo quickly spun his chair away from the window out of which he had been gazing, once again lost in thought, and was too shocked at the sight of his former best friend to say anything more eloquent or appropriate than, “What?”

“The number of friends I have on facebook. One million, four hundred eighty-two thousand, nine hundred and sixty. Probably more requests piling up in my inbox right now.”

Having had sufficient time to collect himself, Eduardo stood up angrily and asked, “Did you really come by my office in the middle of the night to brag about how many friends you have on the site that ruined our relationship? Are you possibly even more of a sociopath than I thought?”

Betraying no sign that he had heard Eduardo other than what Eduardo could have sworn was a brief flicker of hurt at his use of the word sociopath, Mark barreled on, seating himself in the large armchair opposite Eduardo’s desk.

“I have more friends on facebook than people I’ve even met in my entire life. Nobel prize winners, rock stars, incredibly hot girls who don’t know you can’t spell Kimberly with a “z” all begging to be my friend. ‘You’re the greatest, Mark,’ ‘Dude, you rule!’ ‘Let’s talk book deal,’ ‘Call me, my friends would freak if I had sex with the guy who invented facebook!’”

Angrier than he had felt since the lawsuit two months ago, Eduardo picked up the phone on his desk and began to dial. “I’m calling security, maybe they can - ”

“More than a million people bombarding me with their banal, trivial, useless thoughts, hoping to get a handful of cash or 15 minutes of fame by associating with me. I spend every hour of every day on a site that’s supposed to be for getting to know people and making friends, and I haven’t found a single person worth being friends with or getting to know. Not one.”

“What, you’re telling me Sean doesn’t have a facebook?” Eduardo had told himself he wouldn’t engage, but the wound of Mark essentially dumping him for Sean was still raw.

“He probably does, but after I got him arrested and kicked him out of the company, I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t accept my friend request, even if I wanted to send him one.” Mark replied dryly, as the ghost of a smile played over his lips, although his eyes never left his own jittery hands.

“You, wait, you what?” Eduardo was annoyed with himself for losing the upper hand, but felt thoroughly confused.

“I found out he was messing around with drugs and underage interns, so I called the police on him the night of the big launch. I figured he was bound to be up to something they could arrest him for.”

“But that was in all the newspapers! Your stock went down 20 points!” Eduardo realized too late that saying this was an admission that he still stalked the media for any and all mentions of Mark or facebook, but Mark seemingly took no notice.

“I didn’t care. I’d been wanting him out for a long time, ever since I realized that he was just a broken record in an expensive suit, ever since…,” Mark trailed off.

“Oh what, Mark, ever since you kicked me out of the company you begged me to start with you? Since you stabbed me in the back and left me out in the cold?” Since you broke my fucking heart, you smug bastard? Eduardo thought privately.

Mark finally looked up from where his agitated fingers were tapping out a cryptic staccato and stared Eduardo straight in the face. “Yes.”

Before Eduardo could fully process Mark’s words, Mark stood up and handed him an envelope. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Eduardo asked as he tentatively accepted it.

“Sean’s shares in the company plus half of mine. You can keep them, sell them, burn them, whatever, but they’re yours.”

“Why?” Eduardo asked, half suspicious, half curious.

Mark paused for a few moments, as if gathering courage, and asked, “Have you ever heard of King Midas?”

“No…I can’t say that I have,” returned Eduardo.

“Ancient Greek king, entertained a god and was given a wish. He wished for everything he touched to turn to gold – seemed like a good idea at the time. At first it was great – everything around him was expensive and beautiful. It was only when he accidentally turned his own daughter into gold that he realized his terrible mistake – he had sacrificed the only person who ever loved him for money. Overwhelmed with grief and regret, he begged Bacchus to take it away, and was able to wash the golden touch away in a river. Lucky guy, Midas; the gods are not always so kind.” Mark gave him a sad little smile at the end and shifted his gaze to the window behind Eduardo.

“So, what, you came by my office to give me a million dollars and tell me a story about a mythical king to make me feel sorry for your terrible, terrible life?” Eduardo yelled.

“No,” Mark said slowly, “I just wanted…I just wanted to…” Having said what he had clearly been practicing, Mark appeared to have found himself lost for words.

“It’s too late, Mark. It’s too late for apologies or bribes or fables. It’s over. You can see yourself out.” Eduardo grabbed his coat and crossed to the door, wanting nothing more than to get out of there and never see Mark again.

“You!” Mark shouted, panicking for the first time. “It was you!”

Eduardo wanted to just keep walking, to stop letting Mark have such an effect on him. This was the man he had trusted with everything – his reputation, his future, his heart if he was being honest - who had then betrayed him and thrown him away like he was garbage. He had every reason in the world to leave…except that he couldn’t.

Turning around, he asked wearily, “What was me?”

Mark seemed surprised that he hadn’t left and was once again speechless, the shaking in his hands growing more prominent.

Eduardo couldn’t take it anymore and swiftly approached Mark, shaking him roughly by the shoulders and pleading with him, “What, Mark, what was me? Just say it!”

“The only person who ever really loved me!” Mark blurted out, “The one I gave up for gold and begged the gods to give me back! You! The shares are the reason I lost you, so I don’t want them anywhere near me; they’re the only way I can think of to start saying ‘I’m sorry’. And for the record, you’re the only person I’ve ever really loved; I’m just an idiot who didn’t realize it soon enough.”

They stood there for what seemed like an age just staring at each other like that, both breathing raggedly, Mark’s terrified expression mirrored by Eduardo’s shocked one. Finally, Eduardo backed Mark up against the wall, his hands never straying from their position on Mark’s shoulders. Mark’s eyes widened, and he was about to speak - to apologize for bothering him, to brush off the soul-baring confession he had just uttered – when Eduardo lowered his lips to Mark’s in a fervent kiss, pressing him further against the wall. Mark fell into him in return, arms encircling Eduardo’s neck as Eduardo’s own hands slipped down to his waist, never taking his lips from Mark’s. After a few minutes of this, they came up for air, and Eduardo rested his forehead gently against Mark’s.

“It can’t be like it was before,” Eduardo said quietly. “You took me for granted, and I let you. There will be no more of that.”

Mark opened his eyes and looked at Eduardo, moving his right hand to stroke his cheek softly, his left still clinging to Eduardo’s neck; he nodded slowly and earnestly.

“Good,” replied Eduardo, smiling brightly and disentangling himself somewhat reluctantly from Mark, “That’s settled. Do you want to go get some breakfast?”  
Mark let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in a short, surprised laugh, and said, “God, yes, I’m starving.”

Eduardo, still grinning widely, took him by the hand and led him from the office, down the hallway, and out onto the street. The two of them walked toward the nearest diner, Eduardo ragging on Mark for forgetting to eat, Mark asking what a stick like him would know about it, still holding hands like being together was the most natural thing in the world. And as the sun rose over the gleaming buildings ushering in a new day, they both smiled, because, for the first time in a long time, all was right with the world.


End file.
